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GY116 Water in the Environment

GY116 Water in the Environment

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Question 1 of 18

1

Glacier morphologies form a broad continuum, from the smallest niche glacier to the largest ice sheet. Apart from size, what is the main factor that differentiates ice sheets and ice caps from smaller glaciers?

Select one of the following:

A. Ice sheets and ice caps only ever occur at the poles

B. Ice sheets and ice caps only occur in high altitude environments

C. Ice sheets and ice caps are constrained by topography

D. Ice sheets and ice caps are unconstrained by topography

Question 2 of 18

1

Which of the following terms is used to describe the loss of snow and/or ice from a glacier?

Select one of the following:

A. Erosion

B. Ablation

C. Abrasion

D. All of the above

Question 3 of 18

1

Which of the following processes is the principal flow mechanism in cold polar glaciers?

Select one of the following:

A. Sublimation

B. Internal deformation

C. Basal sliding

D. Deformation of basal sediments

Question 4 of 18

1

What term is used to describe the process by which glaciers move over small obstacles on their bed by the melting of ice under pressure and its subsequent transport and refreezing where the pressure is lower?

Select one of the following:

A. Regelation

B. Deformation of basal sediments

C. Sublimation

D. Calving

Question 5 of 18

1

Glacial abrasion is a glacial erosion process whereby rock particles held within the basal ice are dragged over the bedrock. Which of the following are products of this process?

Select one of the following:

A. Striations in the bedrock

B. Small and rounded rock particles

C. Glacial flour

D. All of the above

Question 6 of 18

1

What is the term used to describe an oval-shaped hill, largely composed of glacial drift, which forms beneath a glacier or ice sheet and is aligned in the direction of ice flow?

Select one of the following:

A. Terminal moraine

B. Esker

C. Drumlin

D. Kettle

Question 7 of 18

1

What is the term used to describe the instantaneous discharge of up to 50,000 m3 of water and debris from a glacier?

Select one of the following:

A. Ice sheet meltwater flood

B. Ice cap meltwater flood

C. Glacial lake outburst flood

D. Melt season discharge

Question 8 of 18

1

Ice cores from ice sheets can contain an abundance of information on the dynamics of ice mass balance, paleo-climate, and paleo-environmental conditions. Currently, what is the length of the longest ice core record on Earth?

Select one of the following:

A. Approximately 1.8 million years

B. Approximately 800,000 years

C. Approximately 400,000 years

D. Approximately 200,000 years

Question 9 of 18

1

Approximately what percentage of Earth’s freshwater is present in streams and rivers?

Select one of the following:

A. 0.005%

B. 0.050%

C. 0.500%

D. 5.000%

Question 10 of 18

1

In which environments would a meandering river channel typically develop?

Select one of the following:

A. Environments with low slope gradients and erodible bank materials

B. Environments with high slope gradients and non-erodible bank materials